NOVEL WEB Chapter 74: Chapter 74
Bai Yu narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the place where Doflamingo had collapsed.
There, Doflamingo's body lay split cleanly in half, motionless on the ground.
Strangely, not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound that had cleaved his torso.
Hiss—hiss...!
Suddenly, a peculiar sound pierced the silence.
A subtle twitch passed through Doflamingo's "body."
Then, before Bai Yu's eyes, both halves of the corpse began to unravel into countless white strings!
In the next instant, the entire body completely disintegrated into two bundles of limp, silk-like threads.
"Shadow Riding String!"
Bai Yu instinctively blurted it out, his gaze sharpening.
He immediately recognized this as one of Doflamingo's advanced String-String Fruit techniques—Shadow Riding String!
This technique allowed Doflamingo to weave intricate thread constructs—string clones—using countless ultra-thin strings tightly coiled into a humanoid shape.
These puppets were indistinguishable from the real Doflamingo, capable of mimicking his appearance and even replicating some of his Paramecia abilities from a distance under his control.
In critical situations, these string dolls could intercept fatal attacks for their master—an ideal deception technique.
And because they were made entirely of thread, even a beheading or clean bisecting wouldn't destroy them.
It was clear now: Doflamingo had prepared in advance. Before Bai Yu's final strike, he had secretly activated the Shadow Riding String, using the clone to take the lethal hit.
"Observation Haki!"
Bai Yu quickly calmed his mind, shifting his focus. He activated Kenbunshoku Haki, channeling it outward like sonar to locate the real Doflamingo's presence amid the battlefield.
"Found him!"
Within moments, his sharpened senses locked onto a presence—hiding just beneath the deck, not far from where the clone had fallen.
Without hesitation, Bai Yu swung his blade through the air.
Huff—BOOM!
A half-moon-shaped, flying slash shot forth from the Peerless Katana, whistling as it carved through space.
It slammed into the deck like a thunderclap.
BOOM!!
The force of the blow blew apart the deck planks, reducing them to splinters.
Swoosh!
From beneath the wreckage, a figure leapt out, soaring back into the open.
It was the real Doflamingo.
But he looked nothing like the flamboyant warlord he was known to be.
Though Bai Yu's sixth slash had been intercepted by the puppet, the fifth slash had landed squarely on the real Doflamingo—right before he completed the switch.
The price for the decoy... was paid in blood.
Now, Doflamingo's famed pink feathered coat was in tatters, his upper shirt shredded by the relentless barrage of slashes.
A ghastly sword wound ran diagonally across his chest, so deep that even fragments of bone were visible within.
Blood oozed steadily from the gash—it was a wound that would fell most pirates.
"I'm going to kill you!"
With his signature sunglasses shattered, Doflamingo's wild eyes glared at Bai Yu, his face twisted in fury.
Grimacing, he activated his Ito Ito no Mi powers again—fine threads sprouted from his fingertips and quickly sewed the gaping wound on his torso, tightening the fibers to staunch the bleeding in mere seconds.
"Dover!"
A loud shout came from behind. It was Vergo, racing up the tilted deck with panic on his face.
Brr-brr! Brr-brr!
Just then, a Den Den Mushi began ringing from within Doflamingo's coat.
With a scowl, Doflamingo ripped it out and tossed it to Vergo.
He remained focused on Bai Yu, vigilantly using his string threads to patch his injuries.
Vergo caught the Den Den Mushi and answered swiftly.
"It's me."
"...What?!"
"Understood. Doflamingo will be there immediately."
As the voice on the other end finished speaking, Vergo's expression turned serious.
He hung up and looked at Doflamingo grimly.
"Dover, we can't stay here. Something's gone wrong with the deal… with Kaido."
Doflamingo's face darkened.
A disruption in their dealings with Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, could spell disaster for his entire underground empire.
After a moment's thought, he made his choice.
"We're leaving!"
Placing one hand on Vergo's shoulder, Doflamingo raised his other hand and aimed skyward.
Ssshhhk—!
A translucent thread, cleverly hidden against the backdrop of the sky, snapped taut, lifting both men rapidly into the air.
He had made a calculated decision.
Though Bai Yu might—or might not—possess the blueprint for the Pluton, a legendary ancient weapon, the consequences of offending Kaido were immediate and very real.
Moreover, after clashing blades with Bai Yu, Doflamingo had come to a grudging realization:
This swordsman was far more formidable than he'd anticipated.
Retreating was the only rational choice.
"Thunder Step!"
Zzztt!
White lightning crackled around Bai Yu's feet. A surge of Raijin-style energy—Thunder Flash Technique—ignited beneath him, causing his body to blur as he launched into high-speed pursuit.
Seeing the light arc below, Doflamingo's eyes narrowed.
"Spider's Nest!"
Raising both hands, he released dozens of strings at once, forming a massive web in midair.
In mere seconds, the threads expanded into a vast spider web spanning the sky—its radius wide enough to engulf two full-sized warships.
WHUMP!
With a slap of his palm, Doflamingo sent the massive web plummeting toward the sea.
"Bai Yu, next time we meet… you won't be so lucky!"
Leaving behind that chilling remark, Doflamingo vanished into the distance with Vergo in tow.
Meanwhile—
Bai Yu looked up. The enormous net, composed of razor-sharp threads, descended like a divine judgment.
He could easily slice through it using his flames or lightning. But…
Beyond the web's reach were the warships. Maya. The soldiers.
If he simply bypassed it to pursue Doflamingo, the others would be torn apart by the crashing net.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Bai Yu dispersed the lightning underfoot.
Then, gripping his katana in one hand, he raised it skyward—and slashed twice.
Huff—BOOM!
Twin arcs of dark crimson flame roared into the sky, crossing midair in an X-shaped strike.
The blazing cross slash flew directly at the web, incinerating everything in its path.
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